Minister Charlie McConalogue Announces €900,000 for Regional Programme to Address Malnutrition of the Furthest Behind in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

HANOI, VIETNAM (18 March 2026)

Minister of State Charlie McConalogue T.D. officially launched a grant of €900,000 to expand a programme improving infant and young child nutrition in partnership with Alive & Thrive during a visit at Duc Giang General Hospital this afternoon.

The funding, provided by the Government of Ireland through its Embassy in Hanoi, aims to improve breastfeeding practices and new-born care across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. This brings Ireland’s total contribution to €7,800,000 in partnership with Alive and Thrive under FHI360 and the Ministries of Health in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos since 2017. The new phase of the project focuses on regional collaboration, utilising Vietnam’s successful "Breastfeeding Centres of Excellence" model to mentor health officials in neighbouring countries.

Minister of State Charlie McConalogue T.D. said “I am incredibly proud to announce a new commitment of €900,000 from the Government of Ireland to support the Alive & Thrive initiative across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.”

“Ireland’s support for this programme is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: nutrition is the foundation of opportunity. When we invest in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, we are investing in the economic and social future of the nation. This new funding will take the success stories we have seen here in Vietnam and share them with our partners in Cambodia and Laos. By working together, we are promoting breastfeeding, strengthening health systems, and leaving no- one behind.”

Background

The Embassy of Ireland’s development programme in Vietnam, governed by the Mission Strategy 2023–2027, is a central pillar of Ireland’s "Global Ireland" footprint in Southeast Asia. The strategy is built on the core principle of "reaching the furthest behind first," focusing on two overarching goals: promoting inclusive economic growth and reducing vulnerabilities.

The Regional Programme to Address Malnutrition of the Furthest Behind in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in partnership with Alive and Thrive is a flagship initiative focused on maternal and child health. Ireland supports "Breastfeeding Centres of Excellence" and milk banks.

This programme has been designed to increase access to and utilisation of essential nutrition interventions and services for vulnerable groups in order to improve nutrition outcomes for women and children across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The programme works at the local level through 140 hospitals and health centres across the three countries as well as working with the Ministries of Health on national level standards and policies. Ireland, through its Embassy in Hanoi, has provided €7,800,000 to Alive & Thrive under this programme since 2017.

This grant represents the continued prioritisation by Ireland for improving nutrition, and specifically addressing stunting of children, through improved feeding practices for new-born babies and infants in the region in line with Ireland’s global priorities.